In one of the worst performances from a Dallas Cowboys defense in recent memory, Giants star receiver Malik Nabers took advantage to the tune of nine catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns. Fortunately, Dak Prescott and Brandon Aubrey saved the day and prevented Dallas from an ominous 0-2 start.
Allowing Russell Wilson to throw for 450 yards is indefensible, and Matt Eberflus and company must come up with a quick answer. After all, the Cowboys are about to face one of the best young receivers in the game in Bears' second-year man Rome Odunze.
Odunze is coming off a career-high 128 receiving yards against the Lions. With how the Cowboys' defense played against Nabers and Wan'Dale Robinson, fans have to be on high alert for how the secondary is going to cope with last year's No. 9 overall pick.
Cowboys must not repeat the same Nabers nightmare with Odunze
Even though the secondary looked depleted against the Giants, Jerry Jones provided some good news on the injury to Da'Ron Bland, telling 105.3 The Fan earlier in the week that he has a "real chance" to play against the Bears.
If Bland can suit up, that will help a ton, but he was a DNP in Wednesday's walkthrough practice. The Cowboys might give him an extra week to rest so he's ready to face Green Bay in Week 4.
Regardless, cornerbacks Kaiir Elam and Trevon Diggs, as well as safeties Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker, got tormented by Russell Wilson and the Giants' receivers. There was a lot of miscommunication, so they were a half-second slow to react to deep passes and that made all the difference.
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Odunze is one of the best young receivers in the game. His combination of route running and creating yards after the catch makes him a difficult matchup for any secondary. The former Washington phenom is the latest example that fans should be patient with young receivers. He was inconsistent as a rookie, but he seems primed to make a leap into stardom in year two.
While it's not likely that Caleb Williams torches the Cowboys for 450 yards like Wilson did, the secondary has a lot of soul-searching to do. The interior defensive line did a heck of a job putting pressure on Wilson, as well as Jalen Hurts in the second half of Week 1. The edge room needs to pull more weight in that regard, but the secondary is the biggest culprit.
The ingredients are there for Odunze to have a monster game, but the secondary can end some of that noise in Week 3 if they correct their mistakes to avoid a Nabers-esque encore.